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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (April 10, 2015) — John Crowe, a junior biology major at Milligan College, has spent a lot of time in the lab recently, testing for E. coli presence in the waters of Buffalo Creek, which runs alongside the college’s iconic gazebo and past the campus entrance.
He learned very quickly that research isn’t always easy.
“Prior to going through the process of research, I thought finding a question and answering it would be simple,” said Crowe, who is from Johnson City. “Getting the answer to a simple question takes time and effort.”
On Tuesday, April 14, Crowe and 17 other students will present research findings at Milligan’s second annual RISE Above Research Conference. Crowe will present “Quantifying and Identifying E. coli in Buffalo Creek.”
The RISE Above Research Conference is a culminating event for students who have been engaged in faculty-mentored undergraduate research at Milligan. Presentations will showcase scholarly and creative research from many disciplines and majors with topics ranging from soil and water ecology to the rates of homeless in the Tri-Cities. The conference includes six student sessions in Milligan’s Derthick Hall, beginning at 3:45 p.m. and ending at 6:45 p.m.
“These students have done incredible work and learned what it takes to complete high-quality research,” said Joy Drinnon, professor of psychology and director of undergraduate research at Milligan. “The conference is an opportunity to get more students excited about research—a valuable learning experience that prepares them for graduate work and beyond.”
The conference will conclude at 7 p.m. with a lecture from Dr. Sarah Lindsay, assistant professor of English and humanities, titled “Violence and Chivalry in Middle English Romances.” Lindsay’s lecture will be held in Hyder Auditorium, located in Milligan’s Science Building.
Focusing on medieval English romance literature, Lindsay will examine the way violence is used and legitimized in conjunction with the knight’s code of chivalry, whose ideal qualifications include courtesy, generosity and valor.
“I’ve always enjoyed the middle ages,” said Lindsay, “because there’s always a shock when the knights and ladies, customary characters of romantic literature, do something completely different than what we expect.”
She will focus on the 15th century English poem “The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle,” which depicts King Arthur’s knight Sir Gawain as he journeys on a quest with a pen and paper, not a sword and shield.
Lindsay, a Wisconsin native, joined Milligan’s faculty in 2013 after receiving her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College in Illinois.
For more information on the RISE Above program, visit www.milligan.edu/riseabove. Read the students’ abstracts by visiting www.milligan.edu/research/conference/#abstracts.
To learn more about Milligan, visit www.milligan.edu.